


A Moment of Emotion

by EmeraldViolets



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Family Fluff, Father-Daughter Relationship, Female My Unit | Byleth, Gen, Good Parent Jeralt Reus Eisner, Mercenaries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-03
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2020-11-22 19:43:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20879663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmeraldViolets/pseuds/EmeraldViolets
Summary: A heartwarming story depicting Byleth's first mission as an official mercenary with her father, Jeralt.





	A Moment of Emotion

**Author's Note:**

> This is entry number 2 in my Fictober 2019 challenge. I had to use "Just follow me, I know the area." as a prompt. Be on the lookout for my other Fictober writings.

Byleth had to muster up all her strength to keep her hands from shaking as she followed her father into the now ruined remains of a nearby village.  
This was her first official job as a full-fledged mercenary, something Jeralt had been training her for from the time she was little. She knew she was ready, she’d worked hard to become stronger anyone could see that, including Jeralt, which is why he decided that this job would be the one to initiate her into the mercenary lifestyle.  
“Hey, kid. You ready?” Jeralt asked glancing back at Byleth. She gave a nod, a look of determination on her face. Her father let out a soft chuckle. “Alright then. Remember we just need to recover some old documents for our contractor, but this place has been overrun with bandits so be on your guard.”  
Byleth was no stranger to combat. Jeralt began teaching her how to fight as soon as she could hold a sword. However, she still felt a wave of wariness wash over her as they stepped further into the pillaged town.  
“Hey now don’t go getting all nervous on me,” Jeralt said obviously noticing her change in demeanor. “Just follow me, I know the area.”  
Again Byleth gave a nod, summoning up her courage and moving forward with purpose. This seemed like a relatively straight forward mission, but even she knew that things could get dangerous quickly if they were ambushed by multiple bandits. Byleth knew her father was a skilled swordsman and she trusted his abilities, but even he could get overwhelmed if a large enough group attacked them.  
Today, however, Byleth was by his side and she was determined to show her father what she’d learned, assisting him no matter what. Byleth may not have realized it, as her and her father were both closed off when it came to feelings, but Jeralt trusted her as much as she trusted him.  
The pair continued through the run-down streets cautiously, Jeralt leading them over the rubble. An eerie silence was present over the town, the wind and their footsteps were the only sounds that could be heard. Byleth thought that this may have once been a beautiful little town, full of life and prosperity, but now it was nothing, just a shell of its former self and even when soaked in the golden glow of the evening sun, it would never look beautiful again.  
“There, that’s the house the documents are supposed to be in,” Jeralt said as they came to a stop a few paces away from a crumbling stone building that looked to have once been able to hold a family of four.  
“I’ll go in and see if I can find them, you wait out here and keep watch.”  
“I can go in,” Byleth said, her voice determined. Even though it was only her first mission, she didn’t want to just keep watch. Jeralt looked her over, a small smile playing on his lips.  
“Alright, you’re quiet enough not to alert anyone if there happens to be squatters inside,”Jeralt said. “Just be careful, and make sure you call for me if you need my help. Keep your eyes and ears open.”  
Byleth gave a nod, showing she understood. She was intent on doing the most she could for her father, thinking she had something to prove.  
Slowly opening the door, a loud creak echoed through the darkened hallways of the once lived in home. With one last glance back at Jeralt, Byleth stepped inside, making sure to keep her footfalls light in case she wasn’t the only one around.  
Their contractor had told them the important paperwork was in an old safe, hidden in his study on the first floor. Byleth barely believed the safe would still even be in the house as it seemed pretty clear to her the whole town had been ransacked for any goods it still held. Nevertheless, she pushed on.  
Sword in hand she crept through the house, making sure to stay as quiet as possible while checking every corner for signs of danger. Finally, she made her way to the far back where there was one room left she hadn’t checked.  
The door to the study was hanging ajar, almost completely off its hinges, but still holding on. Reaching out gently, Byleth lightly pushed the door open for a better look inside. In that instant the door let out a terrible creek, seemingly startling whatever was in the room because the next thing Byleth knew a small frightened mound of fur was coming at her, growling as it flew by. Startled, she threw up her sword before realizing it was just an angry stray cat that seemed to have been hunkering down in the abandoned house. Byleth watched it sprint off, mentally laughing to herself for thinking it was anything serious.  
Shaking off the startle, Byleth finally stepped into the office, carefully looking around to see if there was anything else out of place. Luckily, it was a small area and it didn’t take long for her to find the hidden safe that was built into one of the wrecked bookshelves. It took some prying, but eventually she was able to get it open and retrieve the documents.  
With a renewed confidence now that the mission objective was in hand, Byleth made her way out of the house to find Jeralt. As she exited she spotted her father a few paces away, looking through a pile of rubble, inspecting what looked to be the body of a bandit. His head turned to look at her as she closed the house’s door. She gave him a slight smile, holding up the documents to show she’d been successful.  
“Well would you look at that,” Jeralt called to her, a proud smile on his face. “Great job, kid.”  
However, Byleth didn’t have a moment to bask in the praise as she noticed a few shadowy figures approach her father from behind. Unfortunately, Jeralt was so distracted by her that he didn’t see them come at him.  
Fear struck Byleth and she lunged forward to try to get to Jeralt.  
“Dad!” she yelled, attempting to warn him. However, instead of heeding the warning and turning to face the assailants, Jeralt just looked to Byleth stunned. Before she could get to him, one of the bandits had advanced and swung his sword at her father, leaving a bloody gash in his arm. Wincing from the sudden pain, Jeralt was able to recover quickly, holding his sword up to parry the next attack.  
Byleth came to his side, swinging her sword out, clashing with one of the bandits’. The pair was far stronger and more skilled than this rag-tag group and they were able to quickly dispose of them, leaving a few running off terrified into the distance.  
When the excitement died down, Byleth rushed to Jeralt’s side, pulling out a rag and holding it to the wound on his arm. Thankfully, it wasn’t deep and seemed to have mostly stopped bleeding. While Byleth looked on concerned, she barely noticed Jeralt gazing back at her, a smile gracing his lips.  
“That was the first time you’ve called me that,” he said softly. Byleth glanced up to meet his eyes, a confused expression on her face.  
“You usually just stick with father, or you don’t call me anything at all,” he said, a slight chuckle in his voice, but a melancholic glint in his eyes. Byleth hadn’t even realized until now that she’d never done that. The thought made her feel a bit guilty, but just one glance at Jeralt’s smile made her do the same in return.  
“You did good today, kid,” he said. “I’m real proud of you.”  
Jeralt’s words spread great warmth through Byleth. They meant more to her than she could express.  
With a rush of happiness and fondness now pulsing through her, Byleth looked to Jeralt, the man who’d raised and cared for her, her father.  
“Thanks, Dad,” she spoke.


End file.
